Minnesota sweeps its way to WNBA crown

DULUTH, Ga. — Maya Moore scored 23 points, Rebekkah Brunson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 86-77 on Thursday night to win their second WNBA title in three years.

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By The Associated Press

MailTribune.com

By The Associated Press

Posted Oct. 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 11, 2013 at 2:50 AM

By The Associated Press

Posted Oct. 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 11, 2013 at 2:50 AM

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DULUTH, Ga. — Maya Moore scored 23 points, Rebekkah Brunson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 86-77 on Thursday night to win their second WNBA title in three years.

Tiffany Hayes finished with 20 points and Alex Bentley had 18 in reserve roles for Atlanta, which was swept in the best-of-5 finals for the third time in four years.

Moore was playing at the Gwinnett Arena for the first time since leading nearby Collins Hill H.S. to the last of three consecutive state titles in 2007, and she had strong support from the suburban Atlanta crowd.

Moore, the WNBA rookie of the year three years ago, was a big reason why the Lynx won their first championship in 2011.

This time, she was named the finals MVP as Minnesota became the second team to go unbeaten in seven playoff games and win a championship, joining the 2010 Seattle Storm.

Lindsay Whalen scored 15 points and Seimone Augustus had 14 for the Lynx.

The Dream cut the lead to three points early in the third quarter, but Moore came off a screen on the next possession and hit a 3-pointer to make it 45-39. She and Brunson combined for 19 of Minnesota's 26 points in the third.